Molly Solomon

Molly Solomon joined HPR in May 2012 as an intern for the morning talk show, The Conversation.She has since worn a variety of hats around the station, doing everything from board operator to producer.

She is now the General Assignment reporter and covers a number of important topics including education, tourism, and food sustainability. A California native, Molly joined HPR after graduating from University of California Santa Cruz with a BA in Sociology. At UC Santa Cruz, she volunteered at KZSC as well as the student newspaper, City on a Hill Press. When she's not reporting local news, Molly can usually be spotted riding her bike around Kaimuki or eating her way through Oahu's plethora of Japanese restaurants.

In Hawaii, a battle is going on over the future of a mountaintop. Native Hawaiians say it's sacred ground, while astronomers say it's the best place in the world to build a massive, 18-story telescope.

This is not simply a story of religion versus science. Activists consider the construction of a giant telescope on the island of Hawaii to be a desecration of their sacred land.

Starting Monday, same-sex marriage is legal in Hawaii. The state has long been a destination for weddings and honeymoons. And now state officials, as well as hotels and restaurants, are hoping the latest marriage-equality law will spur a new market for wedding tourism.

Wedding planner Keane Akao is showing off a secluded beach wedding site, one of several on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

"You can use the beach for pictures," he tells a couple, "and this is actually called Secret Beach."